Fellow Astro-Nuts, My friend, Peter Birren, the Chicago-based author of a great little astronomy book entitled Objects In the Heavens, just sent me several copies that I requested. This handbook is almost small enough to fit in a pocket (it will fit in a large pocket), and is good to have handy at the telescope when you are observing the stars. The first part of the book is a compact reference guide, with a lot of information packed into a small space. For instance, you can find the star ranking system, the Greek alphabet, a list of the 88 constellations, some star stories, notes on finding objects and measuring degrees of arc, explanation of R.A. and Dec., EQ and Alt-Az;explanations of the telescope types, power, field of view, setting circles, sky quality, and the use of filters -- and thats just in the first 15 pages! On subsequent pages you can find info on the planets of our solar system, relative sizes of stars illustrated, and lists of bright stars, double stars (all the stars on the A.L. Double Star List), the Messier list, a list of the recurring meteor showers, and a long list of many of the NGC objects. There is a unique section about the Moon, and a day-by-day list of objects to observe on the Moon as it goes through one cycle, or lunation, from New Moon to New Moon. The biggest part of this little book is an alphabetical arrangement of the northern hemisphere constellations, with a sketch of each, and a list of objects worth observing. Each object is listed as to whether it is a binocular or telescope object, its M- and/or NGC-designation, common name, a brief description, its size (in degrees, minutes, and seconds of arc), its R.A. and Dec., and its magnitude. Each page also has room for personal notes as you observe the items in that constellation. It is spiral-bound, and easy to use at the scope. I have used this little book, OITH, for years, and I marvel at its conciseness, completeness, and usefulness. I showed this book last week at the BBAA Astronomy 101 meeting,. and a member asked how he can get one. I wrote Peter and asked him to send me a few copies on consignment, so others can get their hands on it. It sells for the reasonable price of $25, and is worth every penny. If you would like to see it, let me know. If you want a copy, I can provide you with one. It is so good, and so useful, I am considering teaching a class on this book alone. It is a great way for a person to get his or her stargazing experience off to a good start. BTW, you can see a sample of the OITH book on Amazon,com, but they are still selling version 3, the third edition, whereas the copies I have are version 5.2, an updated Fifth edition. The reason Ed. 3 is on Amazon is that Peter Birrens former publisher, Trafford, markets it through that source; however, Peter broke from Trafford two editions ago, and is marketing the book on his own now. I guarantee that if you compare v.3 with v.5.2, you would find a tremendous improvement in scope, accuracy, and the amount of information covered. Contact me for more information at 757-332-0773 (cell) or here on email at pathfinder027 at gmail dot com.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 02:34:13 +0000
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